US Senate passes record $858 billion defense act, sending bill to Biden

The U.S. Senate passed legislation on Thursday authorizing a record 858 billion US dollars in annual defense spending. It is 45 billion dollars more than proposed by President Joe Biden. It includes 10 billion dollars in security aid for Taiwan and 800 million dollars for Ukraine. Senators supported the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)   setting policy for the Pentagon, by an overwhelming 83-11 bipartisan majority. The NDAA also includes a number of other measures, including repealing the military's COVID-19 vaccine mandate, raising military pay, and imposing restrictions on engagement with Russia.

The no votes came from a mix of liberals who object to the ever-rising military budget and fiscal conservatives who want tighter controls on spending. With the House of Representatives having passed the measure last week, the NDAA next heads to the White House, where Biden is expected to quickly sign it into law. “This is the most important bill we do every year,” said Sen. James Inhofe, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, in a statement. This year’s NDAA is named for Inhofe, who is retiring from the Senate. Because it is one of the few major bills that always passes, lawmakers use the NDAA as a vehicle for a range of initiatives.